Today marks eight years since I was born again in the Philippines. What a ride it has been, and thankfully, it ain’t over yet. If you’ve been a regular reader here at LTG, you know about the mistakes I’ve made and the hard lessons I’ve learned along the way. But now it appears I’ve found a good woman who is committed to making this final chapter of my life a happy one. Hopefully, there is still a long way to go. Only one way to find out, and that’s to live it.

Here’s how I lived my yesterday:

Later in the day, Swan went for a massage, and I waited for her at Red Bar.

We had some food delivered from Jewel Cafe, and then moved on to Jumpin’ Jacks for our nightcap.

And then we rolled on home for a strawberry-banana smoothie and a good night’s sleep.

The LTG archive journey has now arrived in March 2019. I made my first trip to Palawan Island for a Hash event. It is by far the nicest place I’ve visited in the Philippines, at least so far. Lots of pictures to show you what I mean. Feelin’ Blue, Hash Bash, and The Best of Times.

Today’s YouTube video is also from the LTG archives, but an eight-minute history of the Philippines is worth watching again.

Humor me:

And now it is once again Hash Monday. I’ll be doing my own trail this week. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading to Manila to catch my flight to Bohol. Yep, you’re gonna see something new for a change. Bohol has been on my bucket list for a LONG time, glad to finally pull the trigger.

Swan left the house at 3 am for her Pinatubo hike. I went back to bed, woke up at 5, and began my solitary Saturday.

Next up was a solo street stroll through Barretto.

Got home, showered up, and then prepared myself to head into Olongapo City. The main purpose was to get my cellphone repaired. It seems I overcharged the battery (I never knew that was a thing), and the back of the phone warped and partially detached. I walked down to the National Highway and caught a Jeepney that dropped me at the Kalaklan Gate at SBMA. Then I hoofed it another 2K to the SM Mall. At the phone repair shop, I showed my phone, and the attendant said I needed to replace the battery. He had one in stock for “only” 2500 pesos. He said it would take about 20 minutes for the fix, so I told him to proceed.

I used that time to visit the SM Department Store next door. I was hoping for some new hiking shoes, but as usual, they didn’t have any size 11 Merrell’s in stock.

Back to the repair shop, and the phone was ready. I also had a new screen cover installed. They handed me my phone, I thanked them, and started walking away. The clerk called out, “Sir, you haven’t paid yet.” Oops! I came back in, placed my phone on the counter, and reached for my wallet. After getting my change and receipt, I departed once more. A couple of minutes later, the clerk chased me down and handed me my phone. Yep, that’s how bad I’m getting lately.

I exited the mall and grabbed a taxi for home. I prefer the metered cabs, which are usually around 300 pesos to Barretto. For whatever reason, none were available, so I settled for the dreaded SBMA taxis. I’ve had some scam issues with them before, so I always ask up front, how much. The friendly and chatty driver offered 350, which is a fair fare. I gave him a generous tip and got his card for potential future use when I arrived back at the house safe and sound.

It was nearing beer o’clock, so I freshened up and headed back down to the highway, starting my evening out alone at Snackbar. Got a friendly greeting from owner Paula, and settled into one of the outside seats to enjoy the first of several brews. I used to be a regular here, and the gals who still remembered me came and sat at my table. Yeah, I eventually bought them each a lady drink.

When boredom set in, I moseyed on up the highway and decided to pop into the Outback Fish and Chips shop.

Outback is one of the few places that offer Mahi Mahi as the fish option (I despise Dory fish). I neglected to take a photo of the meal as served…

Then I crossed the highway and did my nightcap at Queen Victoria. It wasn’t very busy, and I only stayed for two beers (one of which was provided on the house).

As we pulled into my cul-de-sac, I saw that there was a party in full swing at the next-door neighbor’s house. I used to enjoy attending those neighborhood gatherings, but these days I am no longer welcome. Yep, another person I once considered a friend turned his back and walked away. The older I get, the fewer people seem to care about me. And it occurs to me that perhaps it just comes with the territory of elderliness. Whatever, I’ve made it this far, and I’ll reach the end with or without friends.

Here are a couple of photos from Swan’s Pinatubo adventure:

Eight years ago, I posted these words of wisdom on my Facebook page:

“I never really had a plan for life; I just reacted to it. Whenever I reached a crossroad, I chose a direction and followed the road without a clue as to where it might take me. I guess it is natural to wonder about the paths that would have led to a different life, but you only get to live the life you chose …

I have been fortunate and blessed…but the roads I have taken have led to some great adventures and life-altering experiences. A fool’s luck, perhaps, but even so, I could never have imagined what my life would turn out to be. It has been a very nice ride.”

“So it is time to look forward again…it will be an adventure with an uncertain outcome for sure…”

It was the day before I left Korea for my new life in the Philippines. And naturally, that night I had to say goodbye to my favorite Anjeong-ri bars:

And then from the February 2019 LTG archives is this photo-rich post about a Valentine’s Day Hash in Baguio. It’s so beautiful way up there in the mountains.

For today’s YouTube video, we get another glance into provincial life courtesy of the Filipina Pea. Selling fish door-to-door wouldn’t be a lifestyle I’d choose, but I respect the time and effort it requires.

Ready for more of this?

Anyway, it is what it is. And I’m glad for all that I have.

Alright, I’ve got an agenda to attend to today, so I’m going to keep it short, if not sweet. Swan left the house at 0300 for a tour/hike on Mount Pinatubo with her girlfriends. I’ve filled the morning hours in the usual walkaholic manner. Next up, I’ll head into Olongapo City for a phone repair and a little clothes shopping. Of course, I hope to be home by beer o’clock. We shall see.

What can I say about yesterday? Well, we had a nice enough group hike circumnavigating the Naugsol Valley. In the evening, we made It Doesn’t Matter our pre-dinner stop. And then we stayed because Swan ran into some of her friends she is hiking with today. We had some birria tacos delivered from Myleen’s (which is practically next door) and ate them at IDM. We then did a nightcap at Nipsey’s Bar, and Swan’s friends came along. We didn’t stay long because of the pending early morning travel. I did bake some brownies when we got back home for Swan to enjoy with the mountain hiking group.

And that was the day. Here are some photos you may or may not enjoy:

Did I mention it was hot?

So, it is the time of year I bitch and moan a lot about the heat. But it won’t be long now until I’m complaining about the rain.

Oh, and about the title of today’s post. Yep, I woke up to liquid shit in the bowels. All I ate last night was one damn birria taco, so that’s where I pointed the finger. Swan was fine, though, so I suspect Ozempic might be the real culprit. Still, so far at least, the good is outweighing the bad, so I’ll keep it up for now.

Eight years ago, I dropped off my work clothes for the last time:

From the February 2019 LTG archives: “Today makes nine months since the conception of my retired life in the Philippines. Thankfully, throughout this gestation period, there has been no cause to abort my decision to move here. I’ve been born again! And life goes on.” And now coming up on 8 years here, I still have no regrets.

Today’s YouTube video is from a guy who moved here and learned some hard lessons the hard way. I’ve made my share of mistakes, but nothing I couldn’t recover from.

And there’s always time for a smile or three:

All that matters in life is living free and happy. I’m getting pretty good grades with that these days.

Welcome to another post in the echo chamber. Says the man at the keyboard talking to himself. No big deal, I’m here for the duration, regardless. Power just went out, but I’ve got my mobile hotspot to stay connected. No fans, though, and it is another hot motherfucker today. Oh well, I knock today’s drivel out as quick as I can.

Swan and I did our Calapandayan loop yesterday, hoping to see our favorite lola, but alas, she wasn’t home. We left cookies and lollipops with one of the grandkids, but didn’t feel comfortable giving him our cash donation. I’ll double it next time.

At the appointed hour, we headed into town and enjoyed some adult beverages at Cheap Charlies. The plan was to visit Myleen’s for dinner birra tacos, but Swan decided to order some takeout from Foodies downstairs instead. Once again, I wasn’t hungry, so I skipped the evening meal.

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot, and Swan shared her food bounty with our regular waitresses. I couldn’t help but notice that the quality and number of dancers on stage have vastly improved recently. Makes sense that if you want customers to come for the gals, they should at least be attractive. A couple of rounds later, we were homeward bound.

Yep, been there, done that many times, and I’m looking forward to many more to come.

Some Facebook memories for today:

And in 2018, my working life was coming to an end.

Moving on to February 2018 in the LTG archives, and my roller coaster ride with Marissa continues. Wasting time and missing opportunities, but in the end, I did meet Swan through Marissa, so there is that. Sadly, I learned from Swan that Marissa’s mother passed away today. I met her on several occasions, and she was always a pleasure to know. Rest in Peace.

Today’s YouTube video is another one of those look-back-in-time photo essays. In this one, we see scenes of the Philippines during Japanese occupation in World War II (that’s two, not eleven).

Here’s what comes next:

And so another day, another post. Not that it matters much.

One aspect of living a life filled with everyday routines is the unexpected disruption that occurs when those routines are stymied. Tuesday is my grocery shopping day. I’ve been shopping at the Royal supermarket on SBMA since moving here almost eight years ago. Yesterday, this sign was posted on the door at Royal:

I assumed it would be repainting or something similar. Nope. Once inside, I started encountering signs like this one throughout the store:

So, those old habits of knowing which aisle to find an item in were worthless. I used to have a routine pattern of aisles I’d walk to fulfill my shopping needs. No more. I’ll have to relearn and readjust my shopping methods. I’m not sure what motivated these changes, but I noted that many of the non-food items (appliances, toys, etc.) had been eliminated, and the grocery items expanded. They have also widened some of the aisles, so there’s that. Anyway, I’ll adjust, but it was a shock not to be able to find my way around the store. Yeah, if that’s the worst thing to happen to me, I’m doing alright.

I got my third high-dose injection of Ozempic, and things are trending in the right direction. I lost three pounds last week, which puts me down eleven pounds overall since I began the treatment. No severe side effects other than occasional bouts of acid reflux. My appetite remains noticeably suppressed. So, I’ve still got a long way to go, but so far, so good.

Then it was on with my Tuesday routines. That currently includes participating in the dart tournament at Alley Hideout. My inability to regain any passion for the game has been disconcerting. I was on the fence about attending the tourney yesterday, but I still had four beers already paid for on my beer card. So, I went to Alley Hideout, drank my beers, but didn’t play. I’ll have to make a decision soon about whether darts will remain a part of my life.

With the beer card exhausted, we said our goodnights to the crew and players, then moseyed across the highway to Mango’s for dinner.

After dinner, we paid a visit to Gold Bar.

We moved on to Queen Victoria for our nightcap.

And as 8 pm approached, I successfully maintained my routine of going home.

Still exploring the January 2019 LTG archives, I reminisced in this post about all the Filipinas I had loved before. Well, maybe love isn’t the right word. And there were several more to come before I finally found a worthy partner in Swan.

Today’s YouTube video talks about eight “strange laws” in the Philippines that most expats don’t know about. I don’t know, none of them surprised me. I don’t smoke, drive, carry a pocketknife, nor do I have any desire to marry or own property here. Guess I’m safe.

Yeah, time out for humor:

Okay, now I heard the song about a minute ago. And you are fixin’ to as well (assuming you care enough to hit the play button). I honestly didn’t understand the darker meaning of the lyrics until I read about the song here. It’s nice to learn something new at my age.

The big news from yesterday is that I’ve booked my May “get outta town” trip. Swan and I will be sharing a five-day adventure in Bohol. It’s our first visit to this island, and we’ve been looking forward to seeing it. We’ll be staying on Alona Beach in Panglao, and we’ll do our touring from there. Heh, I just learned from glancing at that link that Alona Beach is named after a Filipina actress who ran naked on the beach for a movie role in 1973. Sounds like my kinda place!

I also discovered that stupidity comes with a price. $109.40 to be precise. Travel as an elderly person comes with challenges, and booking airline tickets online is one of them. I completed the process, paid for the flights, and received my booking confirmation via email. And that’s when I realized that what was supposed to be a May 12 departure with a May 16 return flight had somehow become a May 16 departure and a May 17 return. WTF? I still don’t know how I managed to screw that up, but, like everything else, there was a charge for changing the ticket. Oh well, lesson learned. Or not, as my increasingly frazzled brain doesn’t retain much information these days.

Other than that, it was pretty much a typical day in the life.

On the morning dog walk, I noticed the war of words (on paper) between neighbors has escalated.

And then there was the Sunday Sweets Stroll. Wanna come along?

When it was time to head into town, I was gobsmacked by the traffic. Apparently, Labor Day weekend is when Filipinos swarm the beaches in Zambales province. I’d never seen things this jammed up on the National Highway.

A couple of hours later, as we made our way to Jumpin’ Jacks, things were still jampacked.

I was wearing a Hash shirt, and another customer introduced himself as a Hasher from Kentucky. I told him about today’s Hash, and he wants to join in the fun. We’ll see if he shows.

Anyway, despite my costly mistake, I’d rate the day as not bad.

And now we’ve reached January 2019 in the journey through the LTG archives. In this post, I recount having one of those “love at first sight” moments. As you might expect, it proved to be a one-way street. But I am happy to report that the woman in question found the man she wanted and is now a happy mother. I wound up doing alright, too.

Today’s YouTube video discusses China’s motivations for its provocations against the Philippines. I like that the fallout from the Iran conflict is directly impacting China. FAFO.

Let’s lighten the load:

By golly, I’ve gone and done it again. And now it’s time to get ready for today’s Hash. There’s a climb involved, and it is another hot day, but I’ll give it a shot. You’ll know if I live tomorrow.

On and on it goes, but that’s fine by me. I’m reasonably healthy, still able to get out and about, and I have a lady who loves me at my side. Seems like I hit the jackpot! As boring and trivial as they might be, I am glad to engage in my daily routines and then share them with whoever cares to read about them here at LTG. That’s just the way I roll. Let’s get to it then.

At beer o’clock, I fancied a visit to Cheap Charlies, but alas, looking up from the street, it appeared all the good seats were taken. Well, this is Barretto, and there are plenty of options, so we made Sloppy Joe’s our Plan B.

After drinking our fill and enjoying a chicken quesadilla snack at Sloppy Joe’s, we popped into Alaska Club for another round. Neither of us was digging the vibe there, so we decided to stroll down the highway and finish our evening out at Queen Victoria. That was pleasant, as usual.

The bedtime strawberry-banana smoothie I enjoyed at home was also sweet. Yep, life is good.

It’s the last day of the year 2018 in the LTG archives, and I post about the year that was and the lessons learned.

Today’s YouTube video is the inspiring story of a Filipina overcoming her handicap to achieve her dreams. She lives in Valencia, a city I hope to visit in June. Perhaps I’ll get a chance to stop by her store to say hello.

Humor time:

And that’s just about enough for today, don’t you think?

Today’s song is an old one I found it the archives. I’d forgotten all about it.

When the warship's left Manila sailing proudly o'er the sea
All the sailors hearts were filled with fond regret
Looking backward to this island where they spent such happy hours
Making love to every pretty girl they've met

Well, up stopped a little sailor with his pride eyes all aglow
Saying take a look at my girl's photograph
Then the sailors gathered round him just to look upon her face
And he said,? I love my Filipino baby?

She's my Filipino baby she's my treasure and my pet
Her teeth are bright and pearly and her hair is black as jet
Oh, her lips are sweet as honey and her heart is true I know
She's my darling little Filipino baby oh Jimmy

In a little rustic cottage in the port of Filipines
Dwells a lonely little maiden all alone
She is thinking of her true love though he's far across the sea
And her heart beats true for him and him alone

Then one day he whispered,? Darling I've come back from Caroline
I've come back to claim the only girl I love?
And that night there was a wedding while the ships crew gathered round
And he wed his little Filipino baby

She's my Filipino baby she's my treasure and my pet
Her teeth are bright and pearly and her hair is black as jet
Oh, her lips are sweet as honey and her heart is true I know
She's my darling little Filipino baby

Yep, slip slidin’ away, but still in the game. I just need to remember to enjoy myself. So far, so good. Take yesterday, for example. Kicked things off with the Friday group hike. Only two other attendees, Swan and Steve, were willing to brave the hellish heat, but we took a mostly flat route and got our steps in.

We overcame Satan’s heat demons and finished our hike back where we had started:

Back to the house post-hike, and my pension deposit had hit the bank—time to take care of the monthly obligations. My only “bill” is my credit card, which I pay in full every month. Then I have the charity projects where I wire money to the recipients for their needs, including school tuition, medical assistance, and feeding a family. When you are surrounded by poverty and people in need, it feels good to at least make life better for some. Selfishly, it adds some value to my existence and makes my being here a little more meaningful.

And of course, I dispensed some lady drink charity last night as well. A little more generous than usual at Wet Spot with two rounds of LDs for four gals. Swan doesn’t like having so many at our table, but with Green Room closed and our regulars from there working at Wet Spot, it can’t be helped. Anyway, they all went home with some commissions and a small tip in their pocket.

A friend of Swan’s posted some 2019 photos of her with some guy at a videoke joint. She thought it would be fun to recreate them last night. Here’s how they turned out:

I honestly don’t remember that long-ago evening or meeting Swan there.

Facebook helps me remember other things, like my final visit to the Commissary at Camp Humphreys eight years ago.

Ah, the good ol’ days. Sometimes you don’t miss them until they are gone.

It’s nearing Christmas 2018 in the LTG archives, and I’m learning about the art of gift-giving and the ways good intentions can go wrong. It’s an interesting perspective to look back on some of the relationship issues I was experiencing during my first year in the Philippines. I can see now that often the problem was with me. Me getting upset about a bargirl I liked getting lady drinks from a customer is just plain stupid. It’s her job, you dunce. I’d never be bothered by something like that now.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s go fishing with the Filipina Pea and her dad and see how he likes using an American-style fishing pole for the first time.

Humor me:

And that’s the way yesterday went.

I can’t remember the last time I was drunk. But I guess I wouldn’t. Seriously, though, with my relatively short daily drinking schedule (leave the house at 4ish and come home around 8) and only imbibing beer, I’m not prone to drunkenness. Which is good, because I like to maintain some semblance of control. Since Zero beer (3% alcohol) is off the market, I’m drinking the slightly stronger San Mig Light (5% alcohol), but I’ve slowed my intake pace to make up for it. Anyway, all is well with me in that regard.

Here’s how I rolled through another Thirstday:

The trip home went without incident. I grabbed a nap and did a blog post, then we were once more out the door. Since we had missed our Baloy Wednesday routine, we hit the sand yesterday to restore order and balance to our existence.

Owner Steve is back from Aussie-land, and it was nice to catch up with him again. Then the show began:

It seems the Ozempic really kicks in at dinnertime. I don’t have much of an appetite, and it is easily satiated. Once again, we shared a chicken quesadilla, and it was plenty satisfying.

And we made some new acquaintances:

And then it was off to home and a batch of strawberry-banana smoothies before hitting the hay. Damn, it’s a good life!

From the December 2018 LTG archives is a post where I expound on the lady drink culture and my other efforts to be generous without being taken advantage of. It took me a few more years to finally ignore the pleas and turn off the ATM. A weird thing about the linked post is that the font is larger than usual. I don’t know how that happened, but I like it. I wonder if I can figure out how to replicate it. Stay tuned.

Today’s YouTube video features a vlogger sharing his ten reasons why people shouldn’t retire in the Philippines. Well, I’ve experienced all ten since moving here almost eight years ago, but I still don’t regret the move. It all comes down to what you can tolerate and accept. Hell, I’m sure there would be ten similar things about any country you choose to reside in, including your homeland. Of course, my “take a deep breath, relax, and accept the Filipino way” mantra has served me well over the years.

Best of all, I still have my sense of humor. Such as it is:

Why not just leave it at that for today.